Nama official: I wasn’t the only data leak

THE Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation (GBFI) is probing a series of allegations made against Nama officials by its former officer Enda Farrell, who has pleaded guilty to disclosing commercially sensitive data concerning the agency’s property portfolio and loan books.

The existence of the investigation was revealed last Thursday at the Circuit Criminal Court when Farrell pleaded guilty to eight counts of disclosing confidential information to third parties, including QED Equity.

Gareth Lynch, a detective from the GBFI, told the court that the fraud squad had set up an incident room to oversee the inquiry. He said Farrell had alleged that others in Nama became desensitised to the information that they were handling. The detective added that he was restricted in what he could say in case it would prejudice ongoing investigations.

The GBFI investigation is trying to establish whether other named Nama officers disclosed any commercial information to third